Actuating mechanism for key-operated machines.



No. 698,845. Patented Apr.-29, I902.

D. MURRAY.

AGTUATING MECHANISM FOR KEY OPERATED MACHINES (Application filed June 20, 1901.)

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No. 698,845. Patented Apr. '29, I902. D. MURRAY. ACTUATING MECHANISM FUR KEY OPERATED MACHINES.

(Application filed Tune 20, 1901.)

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(No Model.)

NVENTOR: ,Zo'nw No. 698,845. Patented Apr. 29, I902.

D. MURRAY.

- ACTUA I'ING MECHANISM FOR KEY OPERATED MACHINES.

' (Application filed. June 20, 1901.

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. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DONALD MURRAY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR KEY-QPER'ATEQMACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 698,845, dated April 29, 1902. Application filed June 20,1901. Serial No. 65,253. (No model) T0 on whom, it may concern.-

. Be it known that I, DONALD MURRAY, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing in New York city, county and State of New York, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Actuating Mechanism for Key-Operated Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of apparatus in which a perforated tape controls the position of a series of levers actuated by a suitable motor, and thus operates a typewriter or type-setting machine, such as that shown and described in my United States Letters Patent No. 638,591, dated December 5, 1899, and also in my pending application, filed January 30, 1901, Serial No. 45,330. In the latter case I have shown a series of slotted reciprocating bars, called by me combs. The terminals of the combs are pointed and register with perforations in a reciprocating die-plate. Between the die-plate and the comb-terminals a paper strip or tape is fed along step by step, and when perforations in the tape register with perforations in the dieplate and the plate is advanced one or more of the combs are moved, so that a certain series of the slots in the edges of the combs are caused to arrange themselves in line to permit the movement of one of a series of crossbars, which by suitable mechanism causes the corresponding key of the type-writing or type-setting machine to be operated.

The object of the present invention is to provide means for maintaining a suitable tension upon the paper tape or strip, to provide means when occasion requires for causing a group of perforations in the tape representing one letter to register with the appropriate perforations in the die-plate, and to provide means for reversing the direction of feed of the paper strip when emergency demands that a portion of the tape be again passed across the die-plate.

I pass the tape through a special tension device consisting of a channeled frictionplatewitha corresponding friction-plate pivotally supported upon the end of a springpressed lever, the second friction-plate being located between the flanges of the channeled friction-plate, so that the paper strip passing between the friction-plates is subjected to a uniform frictional control, which may be adjusted by'varying the spring-pressure upon the lever carrying the second plate. .Upon the inner side of the tape slightly in advance of the friction device described I locate a pivoted spring-pressed lever having a curved contact-surface over which the tape passes at or about the point where it turns to pass across the surface of the die-plate, and I so arrange the pressure of this lever and the friction of the described plates that the tape is always maintained taut and smooth in its passage across the face of the die-plate in spite of the reciprocationsrof the paper-carrlage.

To feed the tape forward a subdivision of a letter at a time, I provide a rotating shuttle consisting of an arm supported upon the axis of the sprocket-wheel, which operates to.

' is rotated underruns the tape, lifting it from its position on the periphery of the sprocketwheel. The length of the radial arm and the size and position of the cap are such that when the cap underru'ns the tape thetape is extended and moved the space separating one feed-hole from another, and upona complete rotation of the shuttle the tape is thus moved forward the distance of, one subdivision. I also provide a device for throwing out the pawls which feed and retain the sprocketwheel, so that the direction of rotation may be reversed.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure 1 is an endelevation of a section of a type-writer or other independent key-operated machine with my automatic actuating device applied to it. Fig. 2 is a front elevation showing the tape-feeding mechanism. Fig. 3 is a detail view of therotating shuttle. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the tape -feeding mechanism. Fig. 5is a section of the same on the line A B, Fig. 2. Fig. 6 shows the holding and propelling pawls, the view being taken on the line C D, Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is asec tion of the same on the line E F, Fig. 1; and Fig. 8 shows the rotating shuttle in its move ment to advance the paper.

10, around the sprocketwheel 11, and out 7 through the guide 12. The die-plate 10 is attached to the reciprocating carriage 13. The

, carriage is operated by the cam 22 and serves to carry the paper tape and die-plate 10 into engagement with the terminals 14 of the series of slotted bars or combs 15. The result of this is that one or more of the combs 15 are moved so that acertain series of the slots are broughtinto alinement, and one of the crossbars 16 moves forward into the alined row of slots in the combs and throws forward a corresponding hook 17 into position to be struck by the universal bar 18. This barreciprocates under the action of the cam 19, Fig. 1, and the hook 17 is thus depressed, and the type-writer key 21 is operated by reason'of its connection with the hook 17 through the strap 20.

The improved tension device 1) consists of a fixed channeled friction-plate 23, supported on a post 24, which is bolted to the frame of the machine. A second friction-plate rests within the channeled plate 23 and is pivotally supported upon the lever 26, pivoted at 27. The friction-plate 25 under the influence of the spring 28 is pressed against the frictionplate 23. The spring 28 is adjustable by means of the screw 29. The paper strip passes between the two plates 23 and 25 and thence over the curved end 30 of the lever 31, pivoted at 32, the terminal 30 being forced upward by the spring 33. It is desirable to so adjust the tension of the tape tas it passes between the friction-plates 23 and 25 that it will yield readily to the propelling movement of the sprocket-wheel 11, while the-tension exerted by the lever 31 will serve to maintain the tap taut during the passage across the face of the die 10. Thefriction of the plates 23 and 25 on the tape 16 must be sufficient to prevent it being pulled forward by the springarm 31, which would then be free to fly upward to its limit, in which position it would be unable to exert enoughtension on the tape to keep it taut in front of the die-plate. The

tape is threaded through the tension device by depressing the end 58 of the lever 26, which raises the plate 25 from the plate 23, thus al lowing the tape to be slipped in from the side. The mode of operation of this tension device is obvious from the description just given. With a simple friction device without the spring-arm 31 the tape is kept taut against the die-plate 10 during the inward movement of the reciprocating carriage 13; but as soon as the outward movement begins the tape bags and forms a loop in front ofthe die-plate and is not drawn back clear from the terminals 14. The result is that when sprocket 11 ro-' die-plate. It also checks any tendency on the part of the sprocket-wheel 11 to overfeed.

34 is an adjustable guide for the paper strip.

The rotating shuttle is composed of a radial arm 35, fixed to a sleeve 36 on the shaft 39 of the sprocket-wheel 11. On the free end of the arm just outside the periphery of the sprocket-wheel 11' is a cap 37, which projects across the periphery of the sprocketwheel 11, as shown in Fig. 3, and which underruns the tape when the radial arm is moved from its position of rest by applying finger and thumb to the knurled sleeve 36. A piece of spring-wire 38, fixed at one end to the carriage 13 and projecting outward, engages a depression in the cap 37 and holds it in a position of rest when not in use. In its normal position when retained by the spring-wire 38 the cap 37 completes the outline of the paperguide 12.

Under ordinary circumstances the paper tape 23, as the result of the combined action of the reciprocating paper carriage 13, the sprocket-wheel 11, the ratchet-wheel 40, and the pawl 42, is moved forward in front of the die-plate 10 one letter-space atatime. Each letter-space consists of five subdivisions corresponding to the central feed-holes in the 5 paper tape, which engage with the teeth of the sprocket-wheel 11. Consequently to advance the tape one subdivision of aletter all that is necessary is to lift the tape from one tooth to the next adjoining one on thesprocket -wheel. This process one or more times repeated is necessary when startingthe tape to bring the letter-divisions into proper alinement with the five holes in the die-plate 10. It is accomplished byturning the shuttle one complete rotation for each subdivision of a letter till proper alinement is attained, which must necessarily be reached in not more than five throws of the shuttle. The op eration of the shuttle in lifting the tape is best seen in Fig. 8.

The mechanism for enabling the tape to be pulled back whenever desired is as follows-. The shaft 39, Fig. 6, theratchet 40, and the hQlding paWI 41 are located on the under side of the carriage 13, When the carriage 13 moves outward, the ratchet 40 is brought into engagement with the propelling-pawl 42, which is carried by thestud 43, fixed on the frame 44 of the machine, When it is desired to rotate the tape backward, it is necessary to throw the pawls 41 and 42 out of engagement with the ratchet 40, which is attached to the same spindle 39 as the-sprocketwheel 11. For this purpose there is-attached to the pawl 41 a metal strip 45, whichnormally rests upon a small cam46. The pro-- pelling-pawl 42 has a projecting finger 47,

49 and 50, which project through the frame 44 and are furnished with gear-wheels 51 and 52. (Shown in dotted outline in Fig. 7.),

These gear-wheels engage with a segmental gear 53. (Also shown in dotted outline in Fig. 7.) This gear 53, which is fixed to the shaft 57, is rotated by means of the milled head 54, Figs. 4 and 5, between the fixed limiting-stops 55 and 56. By turning the milled head to the right the pawls 41 and 42 are thrown out of engagement with the ratchet 4:0. The sprocket-wheel is then free to move in either direction and the tape may be pulled back by hand to any point desired.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isv 1. The combination in actuating mechanism for key-operated machines of a perforated.

tape, a sprocket-wheel for advancing said tape, a suitabledie-plate, a frictiondevice consisting of a pair of spring=pressed plates between which the tape passes and a lever making yielding contact with said tape at a point between said friction device and wheel.

2. The combination in actuatingmechanism for key-operated machines of a perforated V controlling-tape, a sprocket-wheel for .advanci'ng the tape, a.suitable die-plate, a friction device to restrain the tape and a springpressed-lever to hold the tape taut, 3. The combination in-the described mechanism of a sprocket-wheel, a perforated tape, and a rotating shuttle device in position to underrun the tape and vary its position on the wheel.

4. The combination in an actuating mechanism for key-operated machines of-a perforated controlling-tape, a sprocket-wheel, a die-plate, and means forstepping the tape along the space between two successive perforations consisting of a radial-arm'on the wheel-shaft and a' cap on said arm in posh tion to underrun the tape.

DONALD MURRAY. 4 Witnesses:

THEODORE. L. OUYLER, J r., A. M. DoNLEvY. 

